A Visit to Puhoi New Zealand

Last updated on 25 March 2024

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The little historic village of Puhoi, New Zealand, is well worth stopping in at if you’re driving through the area. It’s just off the main route up to Northland from Auckland, about a 40min drive from where I live. One weekend we headed there for the morning to enjoy a little wander and lunch. I hadn’t been there before, but it was really sweet. A river runs by it, with a bridge, complete with huge tree and swing that soars over the water.

By the river there’s a tiny library, one of New Zealand’s smallest libraries. Look at it. It’s teeny!

But apparently it holds over 4000 books and around 500 DVDs, so they must have some epic small-space organisation going on. When we were visiting, there was a little table outside with $1 books, and while none of them interested me, I loved the idea of selling books out in the sunshine. They also had their returns slot in the shape of a letter box, which is the sweetest thing about the entire place.

As well as the library, there’s a beautiful big old hotel with a great wrapping veranda which people were crowding as we were there. There are also a couple of little shops, one dedicated to American apparel, which seemed a little random to me, but there you have it.

We popped into the general store, which also acts as a cafe/eatery type place, where we had oysters and chips. I was up for trying them, but I wouldn’t get them again. The taste is fine, but it’s the texture that gets me. Blergh. I shudder at the thought.

Just a little further from the village there is Puhoi Valley, which is a cafe, a more famously in NZ, a cheese store.

“The Puhoi Valley Cheese Company has expanded to now bring premium cheeses to all New Zealanders including camembert, brie, feta, blue and other European products such as ricotta, crème fraiche and mascarpone.” – website

You can buy their cheese in the supermarket, but when in Rome, you buy the cheese.

As well as being famous for it’s cheeses, the Warkworth area is also home to Lothlorien Wine, so we got a bottle of delicious feijoa wine at the general store before heading home.

It was a fun morning out and about, and while there’s not too much to look at in Puhoi New Zealand, it’s a great place to pop up to for morning tea or lunch. Despite it being off the main road, it was quite busy while we were there, so I imagine in summer it really thrives.

Have you been up to Puhoi?